Usually when an accident or a crime occurs which results in a serious injury to a person, a call is placed to a medical emergency mobile unit so that the emergency mobile unit can transport the injured person from the scene of the accident or crime to a medical care facility. The emergency mobile unit of course responds to the call and proceeds to the scene of the accident or crime.
When the emergency mobile unit arrives at the scene of the accident or the crime, the emergency medical personnel must initially and quickly evaluate the type and extent of the injuries of the injured person. If the emergency medical personnel determine that certain types of injuries have been sustained, such as a back, neck or head injury, then the emergency medical personnel must immobilize the injured person to prevent further injury to the injured person's spine, neck, etc. and/or to minimize the damage already incurred due to the accident or crime during the transport of the person to a medical care facility.
It is the current standard practice for emergency medical personnel to carry with them in their emergency mobile units what is known in the trade as a backboard. A backboard in this trade is a rigid board, large enough to place a person thereon, which is accompanied by straps that are compatible with the rigid board. The board and straps are designed such that a person can be placed on the board and strapped to the board in a stable position. Thus, the backboards fulfill the function of immobilizing an injured person in a position to prevent further injury to the person and/or to minimize the damage already inflicted by the injury during the transport of the person to a medical care facility.
The injured person is usually placed on the backboard by sliding, lifting or otherwise moving the injured person onto the backboard. The injured person is then usually positioned on the backboard in the desired position and strapped to the backboard. The speed and efficiency with which these tasks can be performed is crucial. A savings in time, in many instances, may prevent paralysis, prevent permanent bone damage, prevent brain damage and save lives. Likewise, the effectiveness of the backboard to retain and immobilize the person in the desired position may prevent paralysis, prevent permanent bone damage and save lives.
Therefore, there are two important factors to consider when determining the effectiveness and efficiency of a background, first, the speed at which a person can be placed upon the backboard and immobilized to the backboard and second, the effectiveness of the backboard in immobilizing the injured person in the desired position.
The backboards currently in use do, of course, perform as intended, that is, the backboards are employed to transport an injured person to a medical facility in a stable position. However, since the objective of all the backboards is to be designed such that the injured person can be quickly placed on the backboard once the medical unit has arrived at the scene and effectively immobilized for transport to a medical facility, there is always a need for a backboard which, when employed, enables the emergency crew to more quickly and effectively place the injured person on the backboard and immobilize the person in a desired position on the backboard. This invention addresses this need, as well as the other needs in the art which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given the following disclosure:
Generally speaking, this invention provides: a backboard for transporting an injured person comprising a rigid support board of a size sufficient to lay a person thereon; means for strapping said person on said board, and means for supporting the head and neck of said person; wherein said head and neck supporting means includes a track which is connected to said board and two head engaging devices which are slidably received by said track, said head engaging devices including means for latching said head engaging devices in a number of positions relative to said track, wherein each of said latching means includes a latch member having at least two positions, a latch position and a free position, said latching means being designed and arranged such that said head engaging devices are free to move relative to said track when the latch members are in the free position and such that said head engaging members are stopped from moving relative to the track when the latch members are in the latch position.
In some embodiments of the invention, the latching means includes a spring which biases the latch member in the latch position. The spring force must be overcome- to unlatch the latch member before the head engaging devices can be slid relative to the track.
In other embodiments, the track is embedded in the support board and is positioned transverse to the support board. This enables the emergency medical personnel employing the backboard to move a head engaging device in laterally from each side of the head of the injured person who has been placed on the backboard, perpendicularly to the injured person's head.
In yet other embodiments, each of the head engaging members may include a head support pad and a support guide. The support guide may have two legs, a first leg which is slidably received by the track and a second leg which is at an angle with the first leg and has the head support pad and the latch member attached thereto.
In some embodiments, the latch member may be slidably attached to said second leg of the support guide. In other embodiments, the latch member may be rotatably attached to the support guide.
In further embodiments, the latching member may be a plate or a rod which is slidably attached to the second leg of the guide member. The latching member may slide in a direction parallel to the second leg. The plate or rod interfaces with holes or notches in said track when said latch member is in the latch position.
In yet other embodiments, the latching member may be a bent plate which is rotatably connected to the second leg of the guide member. The bent plate may have a top and a bottom leg. The axis of rotation of the bent plate may be the line along which the plate is bent. The spring may be positioned to push on the top leg of the bent plate and this spring force pushes the bottom leg of the latching plate into the guide, thus holding the head engaging member in place.
Yet other embodiments include strapping members for strapping the injured person to the backboard in order to restrain the injured person's movement and thus immobilize the injured person. The strapping members may include two straps which are buckled together much like a seat belt. Each strap has a connector at one end thereof for attaching the strap to the backboard, as discussed below. The connector may include a ring which is rotatably and slidably received by one end of the strap and a snap hook which is in turn swivelly connected to the ring.
The support board may have handholds spaced along each longitudinal edge thereof. Some of these handholds may have rods located therein which span either the length or width of the handholds. The snap hooks of the strapping members can be easily and quickly attached to these rods.
Some embodiments of the invention may include a feet support assembly. The feet support assembly may be comprised of a foot plate rotatably attached to two extension rods. The extension rods slide in tubes attached to the underside of the support board and are adjustable relative to the support board such that the position of the foot plate may be adjusted, dependant on the height of the person placed on the backboard. The feet support assembly may also include a latching assembly which latches the foot plate and extension rods in a number of positions.
The backboards according to this invention have many advantages over the prior backboards, including:
The backboards according to this invention enable medical personnel to more quickly place a person on a backboard, support the person on the backboard and restrain the person's movements (thus immobilizing the patient) than possible employing the prior backboards. As stated above, the faster and more effectively these tasks can be accomplished, the greater the possibility the medical personnel have of minimizing the damage already inflicted on the person, of preventing further injury and/or saving a life.
One of the features which makes the backboards according to this invention faster to employ is that when the emergency personnel with such a backboard arrive on the scene of the injury, the head engaging members are normally removed from the track and the foot plate tucked under the support board. Unlike some of the prior backboards, the injured person can then be easily slid or otherwise moved onto the support board from any direction since the backboard has a flat, unobstructed top surface when the head engaging members are removed and when the foot plate is tucked under the support board
After the person is placed on the rigid board the head engaging members can be quickly and easily slid into the track and placed in the proper position adjacent the head of the injured person without further movement of the person. This feature is also not found in any of the prior backboards. The head straps can then be looped through strap handles which are a part of the head engaging members, tightened as appropriate and fastened.
Likewise, the body strapping members can be easily and quickly placed around the person to restrain the movement of the person's body. The body strapping members can be installed before, simultaneously or after the head of the injured person has been positioned and immobilized. The body strapping members according to this invention have many advantages over prior strapping members used with backboards, including the advantage of the capability to be quickly attached to the backboard.
The connectors of the straps, comprised of the rings and snap hooks, can be very quickly hooked onto the rods in the handholds. Also, due to the employment of the rings, the strap members can be attached together, that being, the snap hook of one strapping member can be attached to the ring of another strapping member, as described below.
Moreover, the strapping members according to this invention have the advantage of being quickly detachable from the backboard such that the injured person can be quickly released from the backboard once the injured person is in a medical care facility. The straps can be unfastened as quickly, if not more quickly, as the straps can be fastened.
If the strapping members have been connected by attaching one snap hook of a first strapping member to the backboard, while attaching the other snap hooks to the ring of the first strapping member, all the strapping members are released from the backboard by releasing the first snap hook. This makes it extremely quick and easy to unfasten the injured person once the injured person is in a full medical care facility. Emergency personnel, through experience employing backboards according to this invention, will learn how to connect the strap members such that the person can be unfastened from the backboard by unfastening one or two key snap hooks.
Also, since the snap hooks are swivelly attached to the rings, less time need be spent by the emergency medical personnel untwisting the strap members, etc.
Furthermore, the strap members are completely detachable from the backboard. Thus, the emergency medical personnel need not worry about the strap members as the person is being placed and positioned on the backboards according to this invention. Also, the employment of these strap members provides the emergency medical personnel great flexibility in how the straps are positioned around the injured person's body. When using the prior straps and backboards, the emergency- personnel are usually limited to connecting the body restraining straps in parallel between corresponding handholds located along each of the longitudinal edges of the backboards. When employing backboards according to this invention, the strap members can be connected between corresponding handholds, between the top handholds on one edge and the bottom handhold on the other edge or any other combination.
This flexibility further enables the field emergency personnel to position the strapping members to best restrain the injured person, dependant on the person's injuries. This capability may be crucial in the field to prevent aggravation of an injury.
The backboards of this invention have the further advantage of being compatible with a foot plate assembly which supports and restrains the feet of the injured person when necessary.
The backboards according to this invention also have the basic advantage that the injured party is effectively and securely restrained and supported by the backboard if the backboard is properly employed. The head is securely supported and restrained by the head engaging members to a degree not found when employing the prior backboards. The same is true for the body and feet of the injured person.